(intense music)
A revolution is taking place
at the forefront of genetic research.
Extraordinary techniques are now available,
where faces can be reconstructed from DNA
even from a drop of saliva.
(vibrant music)
Used by law enforcement in crime scene investigations,
they can now create portraits of suspects--
My point is--
Like these.
This technique has been used to solve
a number of cold cases already,
and has led to arrests and convictions.
This isn't science-fiction.
This is our new reality.
The decoding of our genome has entered a new era.
Until recently, most genetic analysis
only looked at a very small part of our genome,
just two percent.
(industrial clanking)
And the remaining 98% was referred to as junk DNA.
But now, advances in technology
have led to remarkable discoveries
in these mysterious regions of our genome,
originally called junk.
It's not garbage, in fact, it's treasure.
And there are things that are coming out
of all those parts that we didn't pay attention for.
(rustling)
Coffee, enjoyed by so many around the world.
Whether coffee can be beneficial for your health or not,
might also be determined by our genome.
So coffee could increase or decrease
your risk of getting heart disease
depending on your genetic profile.
But there's more.
(gulping)
Our genome could also hold keys to longevity,
even if you're a lifelong drinker or smoker.
It's becoming clearer that the secret to long life
may be special DNA that protects us from disease.
So experts are now starting to unearth DNA
that protects against cancer and dementia.
For this documentary, we're teaming up
with leading scientists from around the world
to capture DNA as never seen before.
We've uncovered the remarkable workings
of the mysterious regions of our genome
that's been kept under wraps until now.
(liquid sloshing)
So join us on this treasure hunt,
as we delve into our body's genome.
Rapid advances in DNA analysis
have given us an extraordinary new weapon.
(sirens wailing)
It's being used in police investigations,
which have produced remarkable results,
and this technology is called forensic DNA profiling.
From DNA evidence collected at crime scenes
such as cigarette butts and strands of hair,
tiny amounts of genetic material can be analyzed
and used to predict the suspect's face.
In Louisiana, it was used to solve a crime
when all leads had been exhausted.
(footsteps crunching)
A homicide took place here in 2009.
This is where we found her body,
right here in this area.
No evidence found at the scene,
except for a fragment of skin from the suspect
recovered from the victim's nails.
DNA was extracted from it.
(eerie music)
But there were no matches with previous offenders
on the databases,
and the case went cold for a number of years.
(slamming)
Six years later,
an astonishing piece of technology became available,
a way to predict facials features just from DNA.
One could have blue eyes.
My point is--
Once this image was released,
people came forward with new information
on potential suspects,
and eventually the perpetrator was caught.
I mean we feel strongly that
had it not been for this technology,
we may still be looking for a killer right now.
(intense music)
To date, this technology
has already helped to solve over 20 cases in the US.
This is no stuff of science fiction.
But how are such things now possible?
A global authority on DNA facial profiling,
is based in Shanghai, at the Chinese Academy of Science.
(rushing)
This is professor Kun Tang.
For this film, we've enlisted his help for an experiment.
(speaking foreign language)
For this exercise, we've asked a Japanese actor,
Ryohei Suzuki to take part.
We wanted to see whether his facial features
could be retraced just from DNA in his saliva.
Professor Tung and his team were only given a DNA sample
with no further information on the actor's identity.
Professor Tung made the discovery
that the keys to our facial features
were being held in the 98% part of our genome.
(liquid sloshing)
Take nose height, for example.
If you change even one part of the 98%,
it can change dramatically.
Let's do the same with the jaw.
It makes such a big difference to someone's features.
(vibrant music)
So how did the team get on
with reconstructing Ryohei Suzuki's face from DNA alone?
Take a look.
Analyzing genomes to this extent has not been possible
with the older techniques.
So what does all this mean?
Moreover, what's the difference between genes and DNA?
Our bodies are made up of around 40 trillion cells,
and DNA is contained in every single one.
(chiming)
This may look familiar to you,
the unmistakable shape of DNA's double helix.
(rushing)
Our genes are, in fact,
only a very small part of our genome.
(ethereal chiming)
Even when you add them all up,
it only comes to about two percent.
Genes are tasked with a crucial role;
making different parts of our bodies.
For example, they act like coinstruction manuals
for various molecules to create organs in our body
like the heart, stomach, gut, and so on.
(vibrant music)
As for the remaining 98% of our genome,
those that are not genes,
are called non-coding DNA.
These don't contain instructions
on how to create body parts.
So in the past, it was assumed
that they had no function at all.
However due to dramatic advances in DNA sequencing,
these regions that have been written off as junk
can now be analyzed,
and this, at last, has given us further insights,
into the complex workings of the human body.
(speaking foreign language)
(intense music)
According to research,
there are over 10,000 sections of DNA
that can relate to the shapes of our faces.
(vibrant chiming)
Decoding this information
has now made it possible to reconstruct faces
in such detail.
Within the 98% of our genome that used to be called junk,
it now appears that a vast amount of information
is packed away,
and it plays a key role in making each one of us unique.
Biomedical scientists around the globe
are making rapid progress to delve further into our 98%.
And that's because vital information
about our health, and longevity, may be buried within it.
(glasses clinking)
Studies have been looking into the genome of the elderly,
especially those that are in good health
and are over 100 years old.
My name is Richard Arvin Overton.
I am 109 years old.
Still walk, I still talk, and I still drive.
(engine running)
Richard Overton has smoked
since he was 20 years old,
but is still in good health.
(intense music)
(wine pouring)
Louise Levy is 108 years old, has never exercised,
and is partial to her daily tipple.
I have red wine every evening.
I didn't do anything physical, really.
(chattering)
These habits in most people
are considered harmful to health, however...
They did what everybody did and they did it quite wrong.
The secrets to their longevity
may lie in the 98% part of our genome.
They're very high naturally tRNA.
That they have some mutations that cause them
to age slower, and to be protected, therefore,
from the effect of aging on age-related diseases.
(woman speaking)
In 2019 scientists published their findings
on DNA variance, that can protect our lungs from tobacco.
(foreboding music)
Normally smoking increases our risk
of dying from lung disease, by as much as three fold.
However, these variants may be dampening down
inflammation of the lungs from tobacco,
and reducing the risk of getting lung disease
by as much as 80%.
(vibrant music)
One after another, DNA that can protect us from disease
is now being discovered.
For example, DNA that can enhance our powers
to ward off cancers,
DNA that can suppress Alzheimer's disease,
even DNA that's linked to the onset of allergies.
Like DNA that holds the key to our longevity,
these are all buried amongst the non-coding
98% of our genome that used to be called junk.
Many of those variants in the non-coding part of the DNA
are very effective mimics for drugs that we might use
to treat disease.
So I think there's a whole field of biology now
that looks at those area,
and I think those areas will be promising,
also, from what we find that can help us
to target aging, to delay aging, prevent it,
and maybe reverse it.
(intense music)
This region of our genome,
how is it different from genes themselves,
and what does it do?
(digital rushing)
Recent developments in research
have revealed that the 98% works
by acting like a controller of our genes.
And what do we mean by controlling our genes?
We'll be getting to that
by showing you what the latest research has told us.
(coffee beans scattering)
And surprisingly, this involves coffee.
(coffee dripping)
Coffee is one of the world's favorite beverages.
Globally, over 20 million cups of it
are consumed every day.
(traffic rushing by)
Science is now revealing how coffee
can bring about health benefits, but only for some.
Well there've been many studies in the past
that have looked at the health effects of coffee,
and their findings have been really inconsistent.
Some studies showing coffee increases
your risk of certain diseases,
others showing no effect,
yet others showing coffee might actually be protective.
(liquid sloshing)
Antioxidants found in drinks like coffee
can be good for you.
(relaxing music)
For example, by rejuvenating our blood vessels,
and improving the health of the heart.
But on the other hand,
caffeine in coffee can shrink blood vessels
and raise blood pressure,
which in turn can put a strain on the heart.
So it looks like people who are able to reap
the benefits of drinking coffee,
are able to write off these negative effects of caffeine.
How do they do this?
Professor Ahmed El-Sohemy
has analyzed the DNA of 4,000 people,
and he's discovered that the 98% part of our genome
holds the key.
(mystical music)
There is a piece of DNA that determines our ability
to break down caffeine.
He found that 46% of people in his group
were able to rapidly break down caffeine,
and so they're able to fully enjoy
the beneficial aspects of antioxidants.
Thanks to their DNA, their risk of heart attack
can be vastly reduced just by drinking
one cup of coffee a day.
And if they drank over two cups,
this can even decrease to a third.
In the remaining 54% are people who were
slow to break down caffeine,
and those who are considered neutral,
neither fast nor slow.
(puttering)
For those who are only able to slowly break down caffeine,
coffee can put a strain on their heart.
So depending on which version of this genetic variant
a person has, which is found in the 98% of the genome
that does not code for a protein,
this ultimately determines whether or not
coffee is good for them or bad for them.
So when we looked at the DNA of these participants,
we were pleasantly surprised at just how big the effect was.
So lets see how our genes
are actually being controlled by DNA
found in the 98% of our genome.
Molecules which are responsible for breaking down caffeine,
are crucial here.
(liquid droplets echoing)
And instructions for making them
can be found in the two percent part
of our genome, our genes,
and the molecules needed are made
by scanning through the instruction manual
contained inside the gene.
Each and every one of us has this gene.
But, in people who are able to break down caffeine rapidly,
the non-coding 98% part of their genome
contains a DNA variant,
which makes their bodies able to make
plenty of those molecules to dismantle caffeine.
People with DNA variants that break down caffeine slowly
are unable to produce enough of those molecules.
(vibrant digital music)
We'll now explain what DNA in the 98% is up to
inside the body's cells.
Let's see how it's able to manage
such incredibly complex functions,
like scanning through instruction manuals,
even controlling the number of times they should be read.
For this program, we've collaborated with leading scientists
from around the globe,
to visually demonstrate the workings of our DNA.
(chattering)
First, let's take a look at some advanced microscopy
and see how they've captured DNA.
We are looking inside a cell,
as seen by the very latest electron microscope.
DNA is packed inside the spherical nucleus.
This is what DNA actually looks like,
captured clearly for the first time ever.
And now we're inside the nucleus of the cell,
which is smaller than a fifth of the finest grain of sand.
What does the world of DNA look like in here?
In addition, we've collected the first ever
3D images of DNA in living cells,
and simulations of DNA's movements in the nucleus.
(peaceful music)
Based on the latest scientific findings,
we have recreated the world of our genome
in state-of-the-art CGI.
Using coffee as an example,
let's go on the journey to witness the dramas
about to unfold.
The liver, the organ that breaks down caffeine,
takes center stage.
(rapid rushing)
(liquid sloshing)
The world inside the nucleus is about to be revealed.
We're now inside a cell in the liver.
The spherical structure you can see is the nucleus,
only 100th of a millimeter across.
Packed inside here is our DNA.
A lot of openings are visible on the surface.
Let's take a look inside.
This is what DNA actually looks like.
The double helix is, in fact, shaped like this.
Almost two meters worth of DNA
is packed away very tightly in the nucleus,
which is smaller than a grain of sand.
(liquid sloshing)
And in this clearing, right over here,
that area highlighted in white,
is the region of our DNA involved in making the molecules
needed to break down caffeine.
Here in blue, is the instruction manual, the gene,
and the area highlighted in pink,
is the region that used to be called junk.
Let's take a closer look at this area,
the non-coding 98% part of our genome.
We're looking for the DNA that determines our ability
to break down caffeine.
And it's right here.
Something's approaching it.
(chiming)
This molecule acts like an ignition switch.
It's closing in on the edge of the gene shown in blue,
(heavy rushing)
and hits it.
Let's take a look again.
(heavy rushing)
And this sets off a chain of events.
It's like a scanner that takes in information
from the instruction manual,
and streaming out of it is a copy of those instructions.
Rather than copying DNA in its entirety,
it takes only the relevant parts of the manual,
only those that relate to the molecule
that breaks down caffeine.
So once the crucial parts of the instruction manual
have been read,
(rapid rushing)
the copy makes its way out of the cell nucleus.
Tools and ingredients needed to make the necessary molecules
for the body, are based outside the nucleus.
(rapid clicking)
And here comes the device
that reads the copy of the instruction manual.
Then it starts producing the molecule
to break down caffeine.
(digital droplet landing)
And when the caffeine floats over,
it's absorbed and broken down.
(digital droplet landing)
When we drink coffee,
(motor-like puttering)
caffeine is managed this way inside our bodies.
(droplets and motor-like revving)
(peaceful music)
So let's see what happens to caffeine in people
who are able to break it down rapidly.
(chiming)
The number of strikes increases.
(digital striking)
And as a result, molecules needed to break down caffeine
are produced in greater numbers,
and that's why caffeine can be broken down quickly.
This microscopic world which stains our lives
is astonishingly precise.
It's actual workings are only just starting to be unveiled.
(ethereal music)
(water splashing)
Our bodies are constantly up to remarkable things.
(vibrant music)
This system isn't set up like this just for caffeine.
It also applies to the production of various molecules
that are needed by our body.
For example, to make cartilage for our noses,
to suppress cancer,
or to hold back allergic reactions.
We now understand that the 98% of our genome
is controlling the levels and timings
for making these molecules,
based on information kept within our genes.
The unraveling of the 98%, the region responsible
for individual differences and constitution,
is starting to signal big changes in the world of medicine.
You often come across claims such as,
"This is good for your health,"
or, "Take so many grams of this vitamin or nutrients daily
"to be healthy."
Drug dosage for treating diseases
is set according to average body type,
but when you consider that individuals
have different DNA types,
(crunching)
you begin to realize that these so-called ideal dosages,
ought to be different for each body type.
(digital chiming)
And the key to each of these types
may be found in the 98% part of our genome.
(rushing)
There's even more to this astonishing story,
and it's about mankind's remarkable diversity.
People are capable of living in altitudes
well over 4,000 meters,
as well as in extremely harsh conditions of the North Pole.
(coaching sled dogs)
We're the only mammals capable of surviving
in such wide variety of environments.
(chopping brush)
Professor Rasmus Nielsen's research
focuses on the genetic analysis of people
from around the world,
with remarkable physical abilities,
and solving the mysteries around human evolution
along the way.
He discovered that in people who live in the Himalayas,
4,000 meters above sea level,
where oxygen is 40% less,
have DNA that allows them to increase oxygen levels
in their blood.
And the Inuit people of the Arctic
have developed DNA that protects their blood vessels,
despite eating a limited, high-fat diet
of seals and fish with few vegetables.
The key to these resilient qualities
is found in the regions of our genome
that had originally been called junk.
(peaceful music)
Next, we're moving on to a story
about how the 98% of our genome
has produced astonishing abilities,
and we've traveled to Indonesia to find out more.
(water sloshing)
(chattering)
People here have lived above the ocean for generations,
having abandoned land for centuries.
They are sea nomads, also known as Bajau people.
(speaking foreign language)
They have an incredible gift
not found anywhere else in the world,
a superb ability to dive.
(water splashing)
They free dive to hunt fish in crystal clear waters,
and they are capable of staying underwater
for over 10 minutes.
They can reach depths of around 70 meters,
and as much as 60% of their working lives
can be spent underwater.
(water sloshing)
(ethnic music)
The key to their special powers
could well be found amongst the 98% part of our genome.
A lot of the genetic variants, that are--
Professor Rasmus Nielsen of UC Berkeley,
analyzed this in detail.
60% of the time,
these genetic variants in the non-coding DNA
is what has allowed the Bajau people
to have this extreme diving capability.
(water splashing)
Professor Nielsen's team
analyzed the DNA of over 40 Bajau people.
And buried amongst the 98% of our genome,
he uncovered DNA that was involved in making
a particular organ of our body larger; our spleen.
The spleen acts as a storage device for red blood cells
which carry oxygen.
So when our oxygen supplies are depleted,
red blood cells are sent out around the body.
When the Bajau peopl's spleens were measured in the field,
and when they were compared with people
who lived on land,
(digital climbing)
the Bajau spleens were on average
one and a half times larger.
This is caused by the mutation that makes their DNA special.
(vibrant music)
It's believed the Bajau ended up with bigger spleens
because they carry DNA that's able to produce the molecules
needed to enlarge the organ.
The diving capabilities of the Bajau
could have been triggered by a mutation
that occurred unexpectedly in someone long ago.
(chiming)
But consider this, if the DNA that caused the spleen
to become larger had been passed down,
and that child never saw water,
diving talents kept in their DNA
would have ended up buried, like lost treasure.
But if it became necessary to dive for their survival,
people who carried this unique DNA
would have had the upper hand
and ultimately would have been able
to produce more offspring.
(driving)
Our tale of remarkable people continues in Chile,
high up in the Andes.
One of the defining features of this region is its water.
The water here is extremely unhealthy.
In fact, it's toxins are up to 1,000 times
the recommended safety levels.
(vibrant piano music)
Professor Bernardo Arriaza
has studied the mummified remains of people
who lived in this region several thousand years ago.
He found that people lost their lives at a young age
due to arsenic poisoning.
(speaking foreign language)
But people are still
living in this region today.
(speaking foreign language)
Experts from the University of Chile
analyzed villagers' DNA in detail.
They discovered that buried in the non-coding 98%
part of their genome,
are sections of DNA that enhance the ability
to detoxify arsenic.
(intense music)
(chiming)
This was possible because their DNA allowed their bodies
to make large amounts of enzymes
that rendered arsenic harmless.
In almost all of the cases
where we looked at recent human evolution,
what we find is that the genetic variants
that have changed us,
they almost always fall in the non-coding regions.
It's almost always mutations that sit
in the non-coding part of the DNA.
(intense music)
It's now thought that in most cases,
we've managed to acquire these kids of new,
remarkable abilities, due to mutations taking place
in the 98% part of our genome.
You might think this isn't relevant to you.
You couldn't be a carrier of any special kind of DNA.
But you'd be wrong.
You may not be aware of this, but in fact,
we all have the potential to contribute
to humankind's diversity.
You could be the source of a new ability for mankind.
Fascinating revelations have been made in research
taking place in Iceland, in the North Atlantic.
A groundbreaking project has been collecting DNA samples
from numerous people here with the aim of making
major medical breakthroughs.
(chattering)
I donated around 2006, if I remember correctly.
Yes, many people have done it, and including me,
and I believe that this is good for the future
generations to be able to research,
opportunity to research the DNA.
(woman speaking)
Global authority on genetic research,
Dr. Kari Stefansson has collected DNA samples
of over half the population of Iceland.
By analyzing the entire genomes
of thousands of sets of parents and children,
he discovered something truly remarkable.
When we are conceived,
we receive half the genome of our mother,
half of the genome of our fathers,
but in addition to that, we are born with
about 17 new mutations;
mutations that are not found in our parents.
(eerie music)
At the moment of fertilization,
our father's DNA and our mother's DNA become intermingled.
(chiming)
(rushing)
It's been known for some time
that mutations were likely occurring here,
appearance of DNA that is not present in the father
or the mother.
But according to this latest research,
it's been found that everyone
is born with around 70 new mutations,
and most of these were found in the non-coding
98% part of our genome.
(vibrant choral music)
In just over one generation,
new abilities could emerge from these mutations,
none of which were present in the parents.
Non-coding DNA harbors a lot of genetic variation,
and if you suddenly have to adapt to a new environment,
that's where the substrate
that natural selection can work on,
that's where it comes from.
Hello!
Hi!
With each birth,
70 new mutations are created.
It's essentially a system that gives us
the best shot at survival,
despite challenges from our environment.
(vibrant music)
So, new abilities might be waiting inside of you, too.
A project has been running to find people
with special DNA, genetic superheros
that live amongst us.
Professor Stephen Friend is a researcher
based at Oxford University.
(audience applauding)
Decoder ring, a sort of resilience decoder ring
that we're gonna try to build.
He's looking for people
who are resilient to disease,
by searching bio-banks around the world,
which hold tens of thousands of peoples' DNA.
And pull 'em back a little bit by those.
We do a lot of studying of those who are sick,
and building up long lists of altered components
that maybe, if what we're trying to do
is to develop therapies for prevention,
maybe what we should be doing is studying those
who don't get sick.
There have been cases
where an individual's special disease-free DNA
has gone on to save others around the world.
(chattering)
(footsteps)
Here is one such genetic superhero.
Paola, who is married with two children.
Hello Paola Hello.
(speaking foreign language)
Paola appears completely normal,
but her DNA is very special.
Her superpower, resilience to diabetes.
People with diabetes
are unable to properly metabolize glucose,
so their blood sugar levels remain high.
So what could be happening in Paola's case?
Paola's special DNA was uncovered
by Professor Joaquim Calado.
Once again the originality about Paola
is that it is such a clear cut thing
that she, in fact was losing, and still losing
a lot of glucose.
(chiming)
There are molecules which enables glucose
to be stored in our bodies.
In the past, it had been thought that this was essential
for storing energy.
However, Paola's extremely rare DNA
means that she's completely unable to make a key molecule.
So instead, her body doesn't store excess glucose,
and expels it quickly.
Paola is living proof that you can live healthily
even without these molecules.
This is also, it is very, very,
Paula's very, very unique in the sense that,
okay, what can I do using the knowledge from her DNA,
from her physiology or physiopathology.
What can I learn from that data,
in order to improve her condition?
By using clues from people such as Paola,
game-changing treatments
have been developed by pharmaceuticals.
This drug has now been approved
in over 90 countries worldwide,
and is saving countless diabetic patients
who have been struggling with other medications.
(chattering)
(speaking foreign language)
This patient has been suffering
from diabetes for over 20 years,
but thanks to this new drug,
she no longer has to worry about added complications
such as heart disease.
(speaking foreign language)
Research being led by Professor Stephen Friend
has unearthed even more genetic superheros.
So on this screen,
these are the 13, these are what we were waiting to find,
to see, whether they were none, or several,
and here is that list.
Professor Friend has discovered people
who have the genetic hallmarks of the disease,
but are entirely healthy for some unknown reason.
No disease, no disease, no disease.
With genetic diseases,
it's been thought that due to a mutation
on single gene, disease was inevitable.
(mild piano music)
However, despite having the mutation
that causes these illnesses,
there were 13 extraordinary people
who were completely disease-free.
(chiming)
It's possible that these people were born
with remarkable DNA in the 98% part of their genome,
which may be protecting them
from the onset of ailments.
These are the individuals that have those
hidden genetic treasures.
How exciting!
And one of them was around individuals who had HIV
and did not go on to get AIDS.
These individuals had no idea, no idea,
that they were special.
There may be these unrecognized genetic superheros,
and I wanna find them.
We need you.
We need you to step up, because in you
are those hidden treasures that could help humanity.
The hunt for treasures in our DNA
is taking place all over the globe.
Priceless information with the power to change our futures
is being uncovered from regions of our genome
that had once been called junk.
And cutting edge science
is unveiling the world of genetics.
Our genomes 98% contains humankind's
limitless capacity for diversity.
(vibrant choral music)
And even conceals powers that could save peoples' lives.
And many more treasures are still waiting to be found.
You too, may have such undiscovered treasures
within your DNA.